Patterns of Asexuality in the United States

In this paper we use data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) to ascertain and analyze patterns of asexuality in the United States. We endeavor to extend the earlier work of Bogaert (2004) on this topic, which focused on patterns of asexuality in Great Britain. Using a social constructionist perspective to study asexuality, we conceptualize and measure the phenomenon in several ways, according to behavior, desire, and self-identification. We use the NSFG respondent sampling weights to produce several sets of unbiased estimates of the percentages of persons in the U.S. population, aged 15-44, who are asexual; each set is based on one or more of the various definitions of asexuality. Finally, we describe some of the characteristics of the asexual population using multinomial logistic regression.self-identification, sexual behavior

Census Snapshot: Illinois

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, this report provides demographic and economic information about same-sex couples and same-sex couples raising children in Illinois. We compare same-sex "unmarried partners," which the Census Bureau defines as an unmarried couple who "shares living quarters and has a close personal relationship," to different-sex married couples in Illinois

Census Snapshot: United States

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, this report provides demographic and economic information about same-sex couples and same-sex couples raising children in the U.S. We compare same-sex "unmarried partners," which the Census Bureau defines as an unmarried couple who "shares living quarters and has a close personal relationship," to different-sex married couples in the U.S

Census Snapshot: Michigan

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, this report provides demographic and economic information about same-sex couples and same-sex couples raising children in Michigan. We compare same-sex "unmarried partners," which the Census Bureau defines as an unmarried couple who "shares living quarters and has a close personal relationship," to different-sex married couples in Michigan

The Impact on Maryland\u27s Budget of Allowing Same-Sex Couples to Marry

This analysis estimates the potential impact of extending marriage rights to same-sex couples on Maryland’s state budget. Drawing on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Maryland statistical reports, we estimate that extending marriage rights to same-sex couples would result in a net gain of approximately $3.2 million each year. This net gain is attributable to savings in expenditures on meanstested public benefit programs and an increase in sales and lodging tax revenue from weddings and wedding-related tourism

Legal and Health Risks of Abortion Criminalization: State Policy Responses in the Immediate Aftermath of Dobbs

Major changes to the landscape of abortion law and service delivery have rapidly proliferated since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs, in some cases overnight. Using legal epidemiology methods, the authors of this Article and a team of researchers created a legal dataset that identifies and tracks state laws impacting abortion access in the months immediately following the Dobbs ruling. This Article explores the dataset\u27s findings, detailing changes in abortion laws including abortion bans and related penalties, interstate shield laws, and data privacy protections, from June 1, 2022 through January 1, 2023. While several states moved quickly to restrict or ban abortion, others have strengthened protections and developed innovative laws aimed at shielding patients and providers from abortion criminalization. However, the ever shifting landscape and increased risk of criminalization have chilled accessibility and quality of reproductive health services, and gaps remain even in states that have enacted protective laws. Moving forward, researchers and policymakers must learn from the past and prioritize advancing racial and health equity. Despite the many harms that continue to result from Dobbs, this moment also presents an opportunity to rebuild a more inclusive and equitable vision of reproductive justice for all

Lawyers at the 'information age water cooler': exposing sex discrimination and challenging law firm culture on the internet

Prior research has repeatedly documented the existence of gender inequality, discrimination, and harassment in the legal practice, an occupation that remains maledominated in terms of both numbers and organizational culture. Despite the availability of some legal remedies, women attorneys rarely sue their employers, and often do not challenge discriminatory behavior. In this dissertation, I explore this seemingly contradictory situation, where lawyers fail to employ the legal system on their own behalf, and I seek to determine whether the law can in fact be mobilized to challenge and perhaps change gender relations in the legal practice. Through ethnographic field research and content analysis of an Internet community, my research examines possible methods by which the law can serve as a tool to challenge gender discrimination. Further, I assess the manner in which the Internet community itself can serve as a vehicle for challenging gender inequality. In particular, I first explore the role formal litigation might play in promoting change for women attorneys, determining that attorneys in the Internet community are hesitant to employ litigation to challenge gender discrimination. This reluctance appears to result in large part from attorneysâ familiarity with the daunting task of establishing a discrimination case in the judicial system, as well as from a fear that the pursuit of litigation could inflict damage upon their legal careers. I then consider whether the law can serve as a useful tool to challenge inequality when legal discourse is employed within the Internet community to invoke a legal right to a discrimination-free workplace. I find that attorneys, despite their legal training, call upon both formal and informal notions of discrimination when confronted with circumstances colored with inequity. The Internet community itself provides a protected, semianonymous forum in which to engage in such discourse, thereby subverting many of the barriers that currently exist to challenging gender inequality in the legal practice. Further, the community serves as a resource to bring public attention to bear upon law firms, creating external pressures which encourage a reevaluation of both lay and legal understandings of prohibited gender discrimination

Efeitos imediatos da manipulação vertebral de alta velocidade e baixa amplitude em parâmetros térmicos e cardiovasculares

Mestrado em Fisioterapia, ramo de Fisioterapia DesportivaIntrodução: As técnicas manipulativas vertebrais aplicadas pela fisioterapia sobre as limitações funcionais geram efeitos biomecânicos interferindo na mobilidade vertebral. Apesar de existirem estudos mostrando influencias destas técnicas sobre o Sistema Nervoso Autônomo, os efeitos imediatos da técnica de manipulação vertebral sobre sinas autonômicos não são claros. O objetivo desta investigação foi verificar o efeito imediato da aplicação de técnica manipulativa vertebral de alta velocidade e baixa amplitude na resposta do sistema nervoso autônomo pela leitura termográfica da temperatura da pele da face, controle de frequência cardíaca, pressão arterial sistêmica e temperatura corporal. Metodologia: Participaram no estudo 15 indivíduos, atletas praticantes de vôlei de praia, que apresentavam quadro de dor cervical baixa e ou torácica alta. Os atletas Grupo Controle foram submetidos a coleta de temperatura corporal, frequência cardíaca, Termografia de face (olhos e nariz), temperatura corporal e pressão arterial sistêmica um minuto antes de uma técnica simulada, um minuto, cinco e oito minuto minutos após a simulação. O semelhante grupo, agora chamado Grupo Experimental foi submetido a aplicação de uma técnica de manipulação vertebral de alta velocidade e baixa amplitude no segmento vertebral compreendido no intervalo vertebral entre a sétima vertebra cervical e a quarta vertebra torácica (C7 e T4) e repetidas as medidas nos semelhantes tempos após. Principais Resultados: A amostra não apresentou homogeneidade para o Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC) (p= 0,033). A temperatura para o olho direito durante os oito minutos da técnica simulada apresentou diminuição (p = 0,041), significante para comparação entre 1 minuto antes do teste e o 8 minutos após o teste simulado (p = 0,028). A temperatura para o nariz durante 8 minutos da técnica experimental apresentou aumento (p = 0,033), significante para comparação entre 1 minuto antes do teste e o 8 minutos após o teste simulado (p = 0,028). A Temperatura Corporal (TC), para o GE, durante 8 minutos após o teste simulado houve diminuição (p = 0,001), significante na comparação entre 1 minuto e 8 minutos (p = 0,001). A Frequência Cardíaca (FC) no GC relacionando os 8 minutos do teste houve diminuição (p = 0,003), significante para a comparação entre o 1 minuto e 8 minutos (p = 0,011). A FC para GE quando relacionando os 8 minutos após a técnica apresentou diminuição (p = 0,00), significante para comparação entre 1 minuto e 8 minutos (p = 0,00). Conclusões: A técnica de fisioterapia manipulativa de não gerou alteração autonômica nos olhos dos atletas. A temperatura do nariz gerou mudança autonômica para aumento do padrão parassimpático. A temperatura corporal e pressão arterial sistêmica não apresentaram alteração mediante a técnica manipulativa. Por não gerar um efeito significativo nos parâmetros de expressividade autonômica em 8 minutos após a aplicação da técnica de manipulação, esta não promove um efeito imediato sobre o sistema nervo autônomo.Introduction: The manipulative techniques of the vertebrae applied by physiotherapy on the limitations inherent to the effects generate biomechanical effects interfering with vertebral mobility. Although there are studies showing technical influences on the Autonomic Nervous System, the immediate effects of the vertebral technique on autonomic signs are not clear. The objective of this investigation was to verify the immediate effect of applying a high-speed, low-amplitude vertebral manipulative technique on the response of the autonomic nervous system by thermographic reading of facial skin temperature, heart rate control, systemic blood pressure and body temperature. Methodology: Fifteen individuals participated in the study, beach volleyball athletes, who presented low neck pain and/or high chest pain. The Control Group athletes were submitted to the collection of body temperature, heart rate, face thermography (eyes and nose), body temperature and systemic blood pressure one minute before a simulated technique, one minute, five and eight minutes after the simulation. The similar group, now called the Experimental Group, was submitted to the application of a technique of vertebral manipulation of high speed and low amplitude in the vertebral segment comprised in the vertebral interval between the seventh cervical vertebra and the fourth thoracic vertebra (C7 and T4) and repeated the measurements in similar times after. Main Results: The sample was not homogeneous for the Body Mass Index (BMI) (p = 0.033). The temperature for the right eye during the eight minutes of the simulated technique showed a decrease (p = 0.041), which was significant for comparison between 1 minute before the test and 8 minutes after the simulated test (p = 0.028). The temperature for the nose during 8 minutes of the experimental technique showed an increase (p = 0.033), significant for comparison between 1 minute before the test and 8 minutes after the simulated test (p = 0.028). The Body Temperature (TC) for the EG, during 8 minutes after the simulated test, there was a decrease (p = 0.001), significant in the comparison between 1 minute and 8 minutes (p = 0.001). The Heart Rate (HR) in the CG relating the 8 minutes of the test decreased (p = 0.003), which was significant for the comparison between the 1 minute and 8 minutes (p = 0.011). The HR for EG when relating the 8 minutes after the technique showed a decrease (p = 0.00), which was significant for the comparison between 1 minute and 8 minutes (p = 0.00). Conclusions: The manipulative physiotherapy technique did not generate autonomic changes in the athletes' eyes. The nose temperature generated an autonomic change to increase the parasympathetic pattern. Body temperature and systemic blood pressure did not change using the manipulative technique. As it does not generate a significant effect on the autonomic expressiveness parameters within 8 minutes after the application of the manipulation technique, it does not have an immediate effect on the autonomic nervous system.N/

Avaliaçao de benefícios econômicos da despoluiçao hídrica : efeitos de erros de calibraçao de modelos de qualidade da água

Orientador: Cristóvao Vicente Scapulatempo FernandesDissertaçao (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Tecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduaçao em Recursos Hídricos e Ambientais. Defesa: Curitiba, 2005Inclui bibliografia e anexosResumo: O presente trabalho compreende uma avaliaçao do impacto proporcionado por erros na calibraçao matemática do modelo de qualidade da água QUAL2E, aplicado nas bacias do rio Irai, Iraizinho, Piraquara e Palmital, localizados na nascente da Bacia do Rio Iguaçu. A avaliaçao dos impactos é desenvolvida sob a perspectiva da análise de benefícios conômicos de cenários futuros de medidas em despoluiçao hídrica. Para esta análise de benefícios econômicos optou-se por utilizar a metodologia do parâmetro Z proposta por MARIN, em 2001. Além desta metodologia, desenvolveu-se uma nova metodologia, na qual é considerada a receita proveniente da venda da água após a aplicaçao das medidas em despoluiçao hídrica. No que diz respeito ao parâmetro Z, este estudo trabalhou com variaçoes em sua formulaçao, permitindo demonstrar a sensibilidade do parâmetro ao se utilizar dados resultantes da modelagem matemática fundamentado em modelos nao calibrados